Egypt’s Irrigation Ministry has an EGP 18 bn plan to develop water canals and save 5 bcm of water
Irrigation Ministry has an EGP 18 bn plan to save 5 bcm of water by developing water canals: The Irrigation Ministry is finalizing a strategy to develop and upgrade Egypt’s water canals in FY2020-2021 and expects to present it to the Madbouly Cabinet in the coming days, Al Mal reports, citing an unnamed ministry source. The plan is expected to save around 5 bcm of water that currently goes to waste because of these canals. The ministry expects the work to cost some EGP 18 bn and plans to implement it over the course of two years, with the timeline being contingent on the availability of funding. The draft FY2020-2021 budget has allocated EGP 8 bn to the ministry.
Background: Although Al Mal makes no mention of the legislation, the new Water Resources Act — which has long been in the works — is part of the government’s strategy to better secure Egypt’s water resources by addressing recent challenges, including the impact of climate change, increased levels of pollution, and growing demand and population growth.